Ad Wars Resume With "Accountability August"

Now that the debt debacle has ended (although its effects will be felt for many years) and Congress is taking a break, this should be a very quiet week.  We may hear of local action, and we'll keep you informed.

Accountability August

"The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched an initiative Thursday to apply pressure to Republicans during the August recess for proposed cuts to entitlement programs such as Medicare.   'Accountability August' is the latest installment of the DCCC’s 'Drive for 25' campaign to win control of the House next year.  Over the next month, the campaign will target 44 Republicans with some combination of radio ads, billboards, gas station advertising, community meetings, door-to-door canvasses, phone banks, virtual phone banks and automated calls.  It also features a website: MillionairesOverMedicare.com."

Whether more negative ads will change anything is debatable.  But now everyone should have a chance to cool off and reassess recent events.  If you have a chance to see your Senator or Representative, please do so.  It's actually as easy as calling their office or visiting them at local events.  That's YOUR job; you can help them do theirs.  On a personal note, I received an extremely evasive, platitude-filled response from my Republican Senator, and I'm looking forward to responding to his non-response.

Republican Sanity-Free Zone

Why S&P’s Downgrade is No Joke:  The real impact of S&P’s downgrade is political, not economic.  "The big new element on Friday was an official outside recognition that U.S. creditworthiness is being undermined by a new factor: political insanity.  S&P didn’t base its downgrade on a change in the U.S. fiscal and economic outlook.  It based it on the political game of chicken over the debt ceiling, a game that Republicans initiated and pushed to the limit, and on a growing gloom about the partisan deadlock.  Part of S&P’s gloom, moreover, stemmed explicitly from what a new assessment of the GOP’s ability to block any and all tax increases."

The article continues, "S&P was remarkably blunt that its downgrade was mostly about heightened political risks:  'The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America’s governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed,' it said."

Briefly:  S & P Downgrades U.S. Credit For First Time In History, Repeatedly Cites GOP Intransigence On Taxes.

It cannot be denied.  We all watched in horror as Conservative Republicans virtually destroyed Congressional governance, severely damaged the economy, and wounded America's credit rating.  Clearly, it's politics above patriotism, politics above the common good, politics above all.

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